Digital Photo Frames

Using The Nintendo Wii As A Digital Photo Frame For Your TV

2008-02-17T11:38:00.000-08:00

A lot of people do not know how many functions the Nintendo Wii has. One of the most under mentioned features is the ability to use it as digital photo frame. The Nintendo Wii has a SD slot and a built in Photo viewer. Even though it is not going to be the

Photo Channel 1.1 is the latest photo viewer for the Nintendo Wii. If you don't have you should be able to connect the Wii to your wireless network and download the latest version. After you insert your Sd card into the front hidden compartment, right under the CD loading system. Using the Wii pointer you can launch this app. It will then ask you if you want to view the images from the SD card or internal memory. Select SD card. Pick a picture and move the pointer to the bottom lower right corner of the screen. Select slide show and your off.

You can also use this to edit photos and publish to the internet. You can also send them to friends via email and a wireless connection.

The Nintendo Wii plus Photo Channel 1.1 (a free program that comes with the Wii) is not a bad solution for a photo viewer and great for an video game system too. The quality is great for display it on a TV. I am unsure of the picture quality but it has to be equal to or better than 800x600 and it does not look pixelated like what you expect.

Venturer DPF811SE

2008-01-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

This digital photo frame runs below $75. it will not show high end photo well. It will show brightly lit face shots adequately enough. There is a noticeable difference in this frame and some of the newer models that have better resolution (that means less noticeable distortion).

If you have to stay under $100 I would have to say wait. Without power saving features I think that this frame will cost more in the long run than some of the other frames with a power saving feature. I also think that the lack of remote and large pixels make this a photo frame that has some noticeable downsides compared to its peers.

The price difference will show up when you try to show any other pictures than face shots that are brightly lit.

The LCD they use has only one optimal viewing angle. That means that in order to get the a clear picture of the digital photo you need to be standing in the exact right location. This is not a good feature to have in a digital photo frame.

Getting photos on it was simple enough. The interchangeable face plates are nice but it doesn't make up for the lack in picture quality.

I received this as a gift so its okay but if your a serious photographer or someone who will want to show more than brightly lit face shots than you will be better off spending the extra money and getting a digital photo frame like any of the Kodak models I have seen flying off the store shelves.

Make Your Digital Photo Frame Green

2008-01-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

Use a digital timer or regular timer if you want to make you digital photo-frame green. Its a cost effective way of handling it and will usually save you around $50 - $100 on a frame with the feature built in.

Audiovox digital picture frame looks godd when you look at it from above

2007-12-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Audiovox digital picture frame looks good when you look at it from above. When you view the Audiovox from other angles its dark. It handles complex images okay but the low resolution and low contrast make it NOT WORTH Purchasing. The white frames also are very hard to match with existing furniture. I would highly recommend getting a digital photo frame that has changeable frames or a wooden frame.

All that maters is the resolution of the frame - Don't Be Fooled

2007-12-24T16:01:00.000-08:00

I have seen many digital photo frames advertise they hold 100 10 megapixel photos or 50 12 megapixel photos. This is a scam, it doesn't matter. All that matters is the resolution of the picture frame (and maybe the contrast ratio).

If you do not see 1024x768 or 800x600 resolution your going to be sorry.

Your going to have pay at least $125-$175 for a cheap good resolution frame but believe me when you try and show a sunrise or sunset, you will thank me.

I have included a description of a frame that is sub par. It was listed for under $100 (a first sign that that frame is not a good selection).

Using a timer can make your digital photo frame environmentally friendly

2007-12-23T06:16:00.000-08:00

Using a timer can make your digital photo frame environmentally friendly. A lot of the under $200 digital photography frames do not have built in timers. I found that its just as easy to buy one. Most of these digital photoframes come on and automatically start playing the photographs on the memory cards. If you have music on the memory card it will more than likely play the music also (if this is a feature of the frame).

Why do the Digital Photo frames look better in the store?

2007-12-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

Why do the Digital Photo frames look better in the store?

They are showing images that look good with there frames. Mostly head shots and shots with dramatically different colors. In real life we usually don't take a lot of the same shots.

Its the frames with high contract ratios that show the wide range of shots:

(larger number):1 is how its usually displayed on the box
3000:1 is what the Insignia has.

Export Your Photos To Save Space On Your Digital Photo Frame

2007-12-22T10:56:00.001-08:00

Don't comprise image quality too much but sometimes dragging and dropping the image from your camera is a sure way to not get the maximum number of photos on your memory card.

I would recommend using whatever program you use to store your photos to export them out at the same resolution as the frame.

It doesn't make sense to load a 10 megapixel image on a digital photo frame that only shows 1024x768.

Resolution Is The Key To Picture Quality

2007-12-22T10:45:00.001-08:00

The Venture has to be around the resolution of most digital keychains - its bad

The Audivox is a little better at 480x234

The Insignia is the best of this group with 640x480.

From my experience don't get a digital photo frame with less than 640x480 because low light or complex shots may appear blurry or pixelated.

I would also check the contrast of any digital photo frame you buy because that matters also.

Don't mix horizontal and vertical shots

2007-12-22T07:32:00.001-08:00

The first lesson I learned is that you should be cautious mixing photos that are shot horizontal and vertical. On the cheaper frames this looks bad on the more expensive frames over $175 or screens that have high resolution (1024x768) that are larger (7" or bigger) they look better.

How To Get The Photos on Your Digital Photo Frame Part Duex

2007-12-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

The biggest question that a person has when hey get a digital photo frame is how do i get the photos on the frame. There are a few ways. You can get a Card reader that fits into your computers USB port and allows you to put the memory card in the other end. Then you can access it like a drive from "My Computer" on a PC or on your desktop if you have a mac. You can then transfer the picture files over to the memory card. Remember to compress or reduce the size with your favorite photo program and save 10 to 100 times the space allowingoyu to put way more photos on a smaller memory card.

The way I do it is to use my camera as a conduit to allow my computer and memory card to talk. The first thing is to make sure the power on the camera is on. Most computer's wont be able to see your camera if it isn't. It should show up as a new drive on your mac or pc. On a mac you should see it on the desktop - usually displaying the brand or name of the memory card. Once this happens get into your photo program (I use iPhoto) and export the photos out to your "camera drive" at medium quality and medium size ( my photo frame's resolution is 800x600 and its about 9"). These settings allow me to store over 7,000 photos and 5 cd's worth of music on a 1 GB SD memory card.

So to sum things up you have to have some way for computer to read the memory card. If your computer doesn't have a built in device to do so, then you may need to use your camera or buy a card reader.

Did you know you need a memory card when you buy a Digital Photo Frame

2007-12-21T20:19:00.001-08:00

A lot of folks are going to get this digital photography frame home and give it as a gift. Those folks who get this gift are going to have to immediately go out and get more memory for the digital photo frame. Save your favorite person some time, get them a memory card with the digital photo frame!

I learned this the hard way. I also learned that you don't need the biggest memory card out there either.

I recommend 512k to 1 GB SD card. That will run you anywhere from $12.99 to $19.99.

When they receive it and say I have 8 thousand photos there is no way they will fit on there. Remind them that they need to reduce the size and quality of each photo. So a 10 megapixel camera's photo that's 10 MB (megabytes) should be compressed to a file that is somewhere around 50 k (kilobytes).

For those of you who don't quite get all the computer talk, let me make it simple. I have a 10 megapixel camera I have 7,000 digital photos. I have fit every one of those photos and 5 cd's worth of music on 1 gigabyte SD card.

To top that off I fit 7,000 photos on a 512k micro SD card without the CD's on another frame. If I can do it you can too. I will make sure and explain how in a future post.

Getting The Photos On The Digital Photo Frame

2007-12-21T20:13:00.000-08:00

Okay the first problem that I hear about is how do you get the photos on the digital photo frame. I was in line buying this and someone asked me innocently enough - "How do you get the photos on the darn device." I though this was a legitimate question that most consumers must have that do not know a tremendous amount about computers.

I will make it easy - 3 steps

1) You need a memory card. Most people don't know this. They get the frame and find out it can hold 5 photos or worst none. Think of it as a CD for your CD player. Mostly all Digital Photo Frames will take SD, so that's the safest bet. Getting something under 2 GB is also a safe bet (even though the sales guys will tell you all digital photo frames can handle any size memory you put it in).

2) You will need some way to get the photos from the computer to the memory card. (You can sometimes buy a memory card that comes with an adaptor that allows you to plug it into the USB port on your computer, or your computer or printer may have this slot already built in. Once you can figure out how to get the memory card read by the computer that has the photos your more than halfway there!) There is also the sure fire way of using your camera as memory card reader - read more on this here

3) Get The SD Card Into the Digital Frame and get the slide show going (if it automatically doesn't start)

3 Digital Photo Frames Reviewed

2007-12-21T19:59:00.000-08:00

First Impressions:

Audiovox DPF700
The Audiovox cost $200. It had multiple frames and just looked classy when I saw it displayed for the first time. It wasn't clear from the box but I am hoping it has some type of power saver feature (some timer or some way to not have it display pictures all the time). This unit looks like it comes with a remote control

Venturer DPF811SE

This one looks nice. It came with 3 covers. This was a gift from my good friend. It did not come with a remote control. It also appears as if this Digital Photo Frame only reads one type of media. Plastic frame surrounding screen is average.

Insignia DPF10A

This unit comes in a white frame which may be hard to match with many things but I do have several mac's and a white fireplace so I am thinking it will look good there. I could also see this working in a kitchen or bathroom. It does have a remote and it looks like it has some advanced features.

I will be reviewing each of these in more detail individually. From my research on CNET.com and some other web sites, it did not appear as if the non-name brand models were reviewed. I know that Kodak makes a good frame but what about the lesser known makes.

Hopefully this will help a few readers on there quest to get a Digital Photo Frame, the hottest gift other than a GPS this 2007 Christmas.